Apparatus for removing treads from tires



.Dec. 10, 1935. G. F. CONNELLY APPARATUS FOR REMOVING TR EADS FROM TIRES Filed Jan. 4, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l m L 5 T. E

INVENTOR. 650265 F Co/v/vELLy ATTORNEY.

Dec. 10, 1935. CONNELLY 2,023,575

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING TREADS FROM TIRES Filed Jan. 4, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 650x265 F'CoNNELLy ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES,

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING TREADS FROM TIRES George F. Connelly, San Francisco, Calif. Application January 4, 1933, Serial No. 650,129 v 1 Claim. (01. 16435) I This invention relates particularly to an apparatus for splitting such materials as leather andrubber into sheets or ribbons of selected thickness.

An object of the invention is tov provide a splitting apparatus adapted particularly to split or remove the worn rubber tread of a pneumatic tire from the carcass of the tire, preliminarily to retreading the carcass.

A further object of the invention, is to provide'an apparatus for removing the tread surface of a pneumatic tire which will, by continuous operation, automatically cut any selected thickness of the worn tread surface from the tire, means being providedin the apparatus to maintain the normal tread surface of the tire in 'a flattened position during the period of time in which the said tread surface is being split from the carcass.

Other objects and advantages are to provide an apparatus for removingthe-treads from tires that will be superior inpoint of simplicity,inexpensiveness of construction, positiveness of operation, and facility and convenience in use and general efficiency. 7 I

In this specification and the annexed drawings, the invention is illustrated in the form considered to be the best, but it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited to such, form, because it maybe embodied in other forms; and it is also to be understood that in and by the claim following the description, it is desired to cover the invention in whatsoever form it may be embodied.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a splitting machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 1 taken on the line 33.

Fig. 1 is a cross section, in enlarged detail, taken through the machine showing the method of operation of splitting the tread surface from the carcass of the tire. V n

Fig. is a section taken through Fig. 4 on the line 55.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged front elevation of one of the guides for supporting the the during the splitting operation.

In the art of stripping or. removing tread surfaces from pneumatic tires, to put said tires in condition to be retreaded it is the customary practice to either cut the worn tread surface from the tire by hand, or to scrape the same off, or

remove it by abrasive wheels, all of which methe ods depend entirely on the hand work and skill of the operator to efiect removal of the tread surface, and as a result there is not a uniform ity of product. My apparatus is designed to elim- 5 inate the hand work usually involved in removing the tread surface from the tire, and to perform the entire operation mechanically, with the result that the finished product is uniform,

and the cost of removing the tread surface, as 10- well' as the "period of time necessary to effect removal of said tread'surface, is materially reduced below'both the cost and time accruing wherethe tread removal is efiectedby hand.

In detail the construction illustrated in the 16 drawings comprises a frame which is generally designated by the numeral I, and whichmay be made. of wood or metal; A pair of pulleys 2 and 3 are-arranged at oppositeends of the frame I, each of said pulleys being supported on shafts, 20' theaxes of which are horizontally disposed. The shaft 4 of the pulley '3is rotatably supported in bearings 5 mounted on a sub-frame 6 which-,in tumjis sli'dablyguided on'tracks I which are a part of the main frame I. The sub-frame t is 25. adjustable on themain frame I, through the instrunientality of a handwheel 8, whereby the position of thepulley 3 .relative to thepulley 2 may be regulatedas desired. r r

The pulley 2 is'fixed to a shaft 9 which, in turn, is jo'urnaled in bearings I II mounted on the frame I. A gear II is keyed to the shaft 9 and said gear meshes with a driving gear I2 fixed to a shaft I3 which is connected to a motor or other prime mover. I

A band knife I4 is mounted around the peripheries of the pulleys 2 and 3, and the-upper run of said knife, between the pulleys 2 and is confined within a guideway I5formed in a housing I6, mounted on "the-upper side ofthe 0 frame I. The'housing I6 is formedin separable halves so that the bandknife may bereadily removed therefromand said housing I6 acts to support the upper runiof the band knife onia true horizontal planeduring the periodof-time that said knife is cutting the tread surface from a tire, as will be hereinafter explained, i

A table I! is arranged in spacedrelationto the cutting knife, the surface of said table Il beingarranged on a plane parallel to the plane of movement of the upper "run of the band knife l4.

The frame I at one end thereof, is provided with a vertical guide standard 22, on which a beam 23 is slidably guided at 24, whereby said beam may be raised or lowered relative to the plane of the band knife l4. The beam 23 is provided .with a threaded shaft 25 rotatably journaled therein, which shaft is threadedly engaged V with'the standard 22 to effect vertical adjustment of the beam 23.- s

Thefree end of the beam 23 is provided with depending parallel brackets 26 thereon, which brackets 26 project downwardly from the beam 23 toward theJcutting 'knife H. A roller 21has its opposite ends rotatably journaled in the ends of the depending brackets 26, said roller 21 being. in the form of a gear. A chain of gears 26 are journaled on one of the brackets 26 inmeshing engagement with each other and with the'roller 21. One gear of thegear chain .28 is fixedly mounted on a shaft 29 journaled in'bearings' 30 i secured to the beam-23 The shaft 29 is pro:

vided with a bevel gear 3i thereon, which is ar-'- ranged inv meshing engagement withthe bevel gear: 32 rotatablymounted' in a' support 33 which is fixed on the beam 23. :A'shaft134 is slidably splined m the bevel gear 32, to r it the bevel gear 22 to slide "lengthwise .on the shaft 34 as 'thexbeam21-maybe raisedlor lowered. The

. shaft 341s provided with a bevel pinion 35thereon whichis' driven byfla bevel pinion36 fixed on a shaft 31, which is journaled in thestand ard;22. The other end of ;.the shaft 31 is-pro-j videdwith a spur gear 38 thereon,a nd said spur gear38-is arranged'in meshing, engagement with I a chain-of gears, generally dsignated by the numeral 39, all of which gears are 'a'etuatedfby the bevel gear 40,;which" is rotatably mounted inlone end ofthe frame I meshes vvith the bevel driving pinion I 4 l mounted on the drive shaft 9; The driving .power from]. the shaft 1 9 is thus effectively,transmitted than the chain of gears to the roller .21, to rotates'aid roller at a relatively slow speed, as contrasted with the high rateof speed at which" the band knife l4 moves.

The band 'knife'fil4 and, tab le 1|1,'a's heretofore recited, are arranged in planes parallel with each other. At' a:point belowarid in. vertical align-,'

ment ,with the, toner 2 1, the'knife u and-table" are spaced apart. Within" this space and on a plane, substantially. flush with" that of the upper surface of the table, l1, I-havearrangeda plurality ofyieldable pressurerollers 44, each of which rollers isjofjfrelatively short length and each roller has its opposite lends'journaled in a pair of supportingplates 45'arranged on uppositesides thereof. Each pair of [supporting plates 45 is fulcrumedjon a cro'ss 'shaft fi and on said cross Shaft 46 are fixed a plurality of gears 41, there being'one of said gears 41 in mesh-7 ingengagement with each of the rollers 44. A

. tension spring .48 is connected 'atone'end to each pair of .plates 45, and at the opposite end said spring is securedjtoj abar 49 fixed on the frame I. Eachof the '-rol1 ers; 44. is thus freeto yield in a.

.vertical direction,independently offthe adjacent rol1ers,='=in-* accordance with. the pressures ,and for'ces direc'ted onto said rollers from above, The shaft 46,-'at--one end, is'provided with'a gear 50 thereon 'which"meshes .witha chain of gears, designated'by 'the'ffnumb'erdil, and is rotated itherebyr;

pressure rollers '44 v rection for the purpose of passing therethru. any

The ul prfpressure roller 21 and' the' lower are rotated ,in'the "sarrie' di+ article whichmight be engagedwith either or both of said rollers. Both the upper and lower .;pressure rollers rotate atthe same rate of speed,

the circumference thereof.

' stantially uniform manner.

2,023,575 I a s and will positively move any article which might be held therebetween. s

In order to remove the worn tread surface from.

the curv'edexterior of the conventional and usual pneumatic tire carcass, the operator first raises 5 the beam 23 on the standard to a point where a sufficient clearanceis provided below the upand theiupper surface of tire is per pressure roller 21, the table l1. The circumference of the arranged at right angles to the-cutting edge of 10 the knife 14 in order that the knife I4 may cut the tread from the tire on a linetangential to When the tire has been arranged in the approximate desired position, the" beam 23 is lowered in order to move the 15 pressure roller 26 into the interior of the tire.

21, and its supporting brackets The sideedges of the brackets 26 are beveled to facilitate the entry of the upper pressure roller into the in- 'sideof the tire. As the upper pressure roller 20 21 is lowered into the interior of the tire, the tire facehas been sufficiently flattened, the table l1 on which the tire rests, is so arranged with respect to the knife *il4 that'a selected and predetermined thickness offthe' tiretread-may be 35 cut'fioin the tire; as the said tire'is advanced into contact with the knife. In order to maintain the tire in a proper position with respect to the cutting knife, I have arranged a pair of guide members 55 and 56 on opposite sides of the cutting The guide 55 consists of a pair of rollers journaled'on afbar 51, and the bar 51 is'adJustably mounted inf'a' support 58 fixed on the beam :23.

Similarly, the guide 56 is mountedv on a bar 69 which is also adjustably located inthe support 58 on the beam 23 The guides and have a contour which conformsto the inner contour of the tire, and said guides55 and 56 serve to hold the tire in proper alignment with the pressure rollers 21 and 44. 'In order to-split or sever the tread surface, from the'tirefthe band knife I4 is started in movement, asarethe pressure. rollers 21 and. The pressure rollers 21 and feed or, advance the tread portion of the tire toward and against the cutting edge of the knife -l4, and the pressure rollers 21 and 44 automatically cause the tire to be revolved on its normal vertical axis until a desired thickness of the worn tread has been removed. If desired, 60 the operator may continue toremovethe worn tread from the tire by lowering the upper pressure mner'u toward'the table 11, whereby-additional tr'ea'd surface will be compressed or squeezed in a position to be forced into contact"with the cutting knife I4. After a desired amount of tread surface has been-removed from the tire, the

band knife and pressure rollers are stopped from rotating, the upper pressure roller 21 and supporting guides 55 and 56are withdrawn from the tire, and the tire is removedfrom-themachine with its entire tread surface removed in a. sub- By the apparatus'the tread surface of thetire is'removed'without deforming or mutilating the natural shape of the tire so that it may be retreaded. Obviously the tire could be cut completely through at any point, and the tire unroiled into a flat ribbon-like strip and in the flat strip-like formit could be fed through a splitting machine, to cut the worn tread from the carcass, but it would thereafter be economically impracticable to restore the strip to a tire-like form.

The invention herein described refers to apparatus for removing treads from tires like that disclosed in my Patent No. 1,945,883, patented February 6, 1934.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

An apparatus to cut the tread from a pneumatic tire casing, while maintaining the casing in its circular shape, consisting of a frame; a

driven roller on the frame having a portion of its circumference engageable with the tread of the tire; a beam adjustably supported on the frame and overlying' said roller; a driven roller on said beam arranged parallel to and above said first mentioned roller; means to adjust the position of the beam to move the roller thereon relative to the roller on the frame, said beam roller being engageable with the interior of a tire to flatten the curvature of the tread portion thereof onto the roller contacting the outside of the tread; a movable fiat knife tangentially engageable with the flattened tread to cut the tread from the tire; and means to rotate the rollers on the frame in unison to revolve the tread of the tire into con- 15 tact with the knife.

GEORGE F. CONNELLYi 

